Are Natural Disasters Increasing?

Does it just seem like natural disasters are increasing, or are we just hearing about them more due to better and quicker communication? That’s the question many are asking as they try to make sense of a world that seems to be growing more violent.

An Earthquake in Mexico

Just yesterday (March 20), the U.S. Geological Service measured an earthquake in Mexico at a magnitude 7.6. The epicenter was in southern Guerrero state, near the border with Oaxaca state, a sparsely populated area about 115 miles from the tourist resort of Acapulco and 100 miles from Oaxaca City. The service said the quake was about 11 miles deep.

Gabino Cue, the governor of Oaxaca, reported cracks and broken windows in several schools and minor damage to a number of Oaxaca City’s iconic monuments. He said signposts had fallen in the city as well.

Natural Disasters Trends

The chart above measures the increase in natural disasters over the last century. Although global climate change (if you believe in it) might explain an increase in floods and hurricanes, it wouldn’t have any affect on earthquakes. As you can see, there has been a noticeable increase in earthquakes over the past 30 years.

Also, it is highly likely that the number of disasters being reported is “more accurate” than it was 100 years ago when people could barely communicate to the neighboring city. Now, a five-year old with an iPhone can send word of a disaster to every corner of the globe.

Be Prepared, Regardless…

As we at the foodstoragereviewer like to point out, it really doesn’t matter if disasters are increasing or not. But it will definitely matter to you if you get caught in one unprepared. So why not put away the arguments and start doing some thing to make sure you can survive a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or other natural disaster? A good place to begin is our food storage profiler where you can find the products that are best suited for you and your family.

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